Differential actuating mechanism



Nov. 2l, 1950 A. G. RUSSELL. 2,530,995

DIFFERENTIAL ACTUATING MECHANISM Filed April l, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY Ngv. 2l, 1950 A. G. RUSSELL 2,530,996

DIFFERENTIAL ACTUATING MECHANISM Filed April l, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 aNvENQw y@ C7, @555 ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 21, 1950 DIFFERENTIAL ACTUATING MECHAN'ISM Alva G. Russell, Stamford, Conn., assignor to Pitney-Bowes, Inc., Stamford, Conn., a corporation of Delaware Application April 1, 1948, Serial N0. 18,438

4 Claims.

This invention relates to actuator mechanism for use in eiecting the accumulation of settable values in register numeral wheels.

It is one object of the invention to effect the accumulation of settable values in register wheels by means of actuator mechanism, wherein the controlling element includes a combined peripheral toothed and non-toothed portion and wherein the non-toothed portion directly controls the actuation of the register wheels during a cycle of operation.

It is another object to provide an actuator element including settable means to vary the toothed and non-toothed portions of the actuator element and means whereby the non-toothed portion will control the actuation of an accumulator during a cycle of operation.

It is another object to provide register actuator mechanism, wherein a transmission element, which is geared to a register numeral wheel, is adapted to be rotated when a pinion, meshing therewith and moved therearound becomes choked but continues to move in a circumferential direction while choked.

With the above and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that various changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein;

Fig. 1 is a plan View of a tWo unit accumulator and actuator device;

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of Fig. 1 with the front wall broken away and with parts shown in section;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 3 3 of Fig. 2, through one unit of the actuator and transmission mechanism;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the actuator and transmission gears and showing their associated pinions moving circumferentially around the teeth of the actuator and transmission gears during a cycle of operation without effecting rotation of the transmission gear;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view similar to Fig. 5 and showing one pinion in a choked position relative to the peripheral surface of the short actuator gear teeth during the latter part of the cycle of operation, and the consequent drive of the transmission gear; and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary front view of the actuator gears and pinion arranged in 0 position.

Two units of an accumulator and actuator mechanism are shown Within a supporting frame structure IU. The accumulator mechanism comprises numeral wheels II rotatively supported upon a shaft I2, which shaft is carried by the front and rear walls I3-I3 of the frame lil. The numeral Wheels II are preferably 01 the internal differential drive type, such as disclosed in patent application Serial No. 760,590, which permit the individual drive thereof, transfer being effected by means of a Geneva pinion I4 from a numeral wheel of a lower to a higher order.

Actuator means is provided to effect rotation of the numeral wheels II in accordance with a pre-selected value. Each actuator comprises two actuator gears which have an equal number oi normal length and shorter length teeth there-- around, and wherein the shorter length teeth are identical to the normal length teeth but have their top portions cut back to form a peripheral surface at substantially the pitch diameter ol the normal teeth. Also, one of the shorter length teeth of each gear is half of a tooth greater in width than the other shorter length teeth.

One unit of the actuator and transmission mechanism will now be described. As best shown in Fig. 5, an actuator gear structure comprises two adjacent gears I5 and I6, each having identical long teeth I'l and short teeth I8, but reversely arranged. When in a 0 position, the wider teeth, indicated at lila, are aligned and the short teeth I8 of one gear are aligned with the long teeth Il of the other gear, as indicated in Fig. 7.

The actuator gear l5 is supported on a shaft I9 but is arranged in a stationary position, such as indicated by the pin 2l, Fig. 3, which is secured within a hub 22 of the gear I5 and the front wall I3. The second actuator gear I6 is adapted to be rotatively adjusted about the hub 22 of the actuator gear I5 by means of a setting lever 23. Said setting lever 23 has ahead portion 23a which is connected With a hub 24 of the rotative actuator gear I6, as best shown in Fig. 3.

A disc 25 is iixed to the shaft i9 and is adapted to rotatively support a pinion structure 26. Said pinion structure 26 comprises two separate pinions 26a--26b, joined by a central integral shaft portion 3i), which shaft portion is mounted 3 within a bearing 36a in any suitable manner. Although the pinion structure comprises two separate pinions, to provide for convenience of mounting, it is essentially the equivalent of a single pinion element. The pinion 26a extends beyond one face of the disc 25 and meshes with the combined` actuator gears I5--IS. The pinion 25D extends beyond the other face of the disc 25 and meshes with a transmission gear 21. i

The transmission gear 21 has twenty teeth and is rotatively mounted on the shaft I9. Said transmission gear 21 also has a hub` portion 28 upon which another gear 29 is fixedy and said gear 29 meshes with a gear 3| secured to the numeral wheel II. y i

When the rotative actuator gear I6 is adjusted to a selected value, the short toothed peripheral surface will be increased one full tooth for each digit value selected. Withthe wider teeth ISc in alignment in the O position, and the teeth adjustable in full tooth increments, each short tooth, which has advanced beyond the wider tooth of the stationary gear I5, will overlap the tooth space between companion short teeth of the stationary gear, as clearly indicated in Figs. 5 and 6. As shown, in Fig. 5, for example, the selected value 5 places five of the shorter teeth on each of theactuator 'gears I5 and it in an overlapping order, and their peripheral surfaces are in continuous alignment. kIn other words, five short teeth of one gear are positioned opposite the tooth spaces of five short teeth of the other gear and their yindividual peripheral suracesform one continuouslyaiigned surface over which the pinionfta is adapted to slide while choked. Also, simultaneously with the increase oi the non-toothed surface, the toothed surface is decreased a like amount. i

A cyclical driveis provided for the shaft It to effect rotation of the disc 2,5 and the consequent movement of the pinions 25a-26h in a circumferential path around the` toothed and non-toothed surfaces of the actuator gears I5 andy IB. The pinion 2Gb meshes with a transmission gear 21` and, since said pinion forms an integral part with the pinion Ea, it will rotate around the teeth of thetransmission gear when pinion is rotated While moving around the teeth of the actuator gears I5 and I6. When however, the pinion 26a passes from the normal long toothed portion to the continuously aligned peripheral surface of the short toothed portion of said actuator gears 'I5-4%, the pinion 26a will become choked, as shown in Fig. 6, and will thus slide non-rotatively in the direction of the arrow, across the peripheral surface thereof. The pinion 25o will not rotate while the pinion 25a is choked, but due to the continued movement of the pinions about the axis of the shaft I, the transmission gear 29 will be rota-ted, and, through gear SI, will effect rotation of the numeral wheel I I in accordance with the value set.

A detent rocker arm 32 is mounted on a pin 33 and has a detent portion Se urged between teeth 35 of a sector 35, formed as a part of the setting lever head portion 2cd. A notch 31 is provided in the disc 25, opposite a wing portion 3S of the detent arm 32, to thereby permit adjustment of the setting lever `23 and actuator gear I6, when the mechanism is in a home position. However, when a cycle of operation is eifected, the peripheral surface of the disc 25 will move into the path of the wingportion 'S8 of the detent arm 3l!- to effect locking of said arm and thus prevent adjustment of the setting lever during a cycle of operation.

Having described the invention claimed is:

1. In register actuating mechanism, an accumulator member, a transmission gear having a geared driving connection with the accumulator member, a composite actuator gear structure having an adjustable toothed and an adjustable non-toothed peripheral surface, a pinion having teeth in operative relation with the transmission and composite actuator gear structure, and a cyclioally driven support for said pinion to effect movement of said pinion circumferentially around the composite actuator gear structure and transmission gear, said pinion being rotatable while engaging the teeth of the composite actuator gear structure and non-rotatable while two successive teeth thereof engage and move over the non-toothed peripheral surface of said composite actuator gear structure during each cycle of movement of the pinion support, whereby the transmission gear and accumulator member are adapted to be driven while the pinion teeth move non-rotatively over the non-toothed surface of the composite actuator gear structure.

2. In register actuating mechanism, an accumulator member, a transmission gear having a geared driving connection with the accumulator member, an actuator comprising two similar and adjacently positioned gears arranged on a common axis with the transmission gear, teeth on said similar gears jointly arranged to provide a toothed and non-toothed peripheral surface, one of said similar gears being rotatively radjustable to effect a simultaneous increase of the combined non-toothed peripheral surface and an equivalent decrease of the combined toothed peripheral surfaces of the similar gears, a .pinion having teeth in operative relation with the actuator and transmission gears, 'and a cyclical drive for moving the pinion circumferentially around the actuator and transmission gears, said pinion being rotatable while engaging the teeth of the combined actuator gears and non-rotatable While two successive teeth thereof engage and move over the non-toothed peripheral surface of said combined actuator gears during each Acycle of what is movement of said pinion, whereby the transmission gear and accumulator member are adapted to b'e'driven while the pinion moves non-rotatively over the non-toothed surface of the combined gears.

3. In register actuating mechanism, an accumulator member, a transmission gear having a geared driving connection with the accumulator member, an actuator member comprising two similar gears each having successive normal and short length teeth and further having a common axis with the transmission gear, one of the short length teeth of each similar gear being greater in width than the other teeth, said similar gears being adjacently'positioned and faced in a reverse order with the two wider teeth aligned in O position, one of said similar gears being rotatively adjustable relative to the other to produce an increasing continuous short toothed peripheral lsurface of the combined similar gears upon each step of adjustment in one direction, a pinion having teeth in operative relation with the said similar and transmission gears, `and a cyclically driven support'for said pinion to effect movement of said pinion circumferentially around the similar and transmission gears, said pinion 'being rotatable while engaging the teeth of' the combined similar gears and non-rotatable while two successive teeth thereof engage and move over the continuous short toothed surface of said similar gears during each cycle of movement of said pinion, whereby the transmission gear and accumulator member are adapted to be driven while the pinion moves non-rotatively over the non-toothed surface of the similar gears.

4. In register actuating mechanism, an accu mulator member, actuator means including a transmission gear having a geared driving connection with the accumulator member, an actuator member comprising two similar gears having a common axis with the transmission gear, each similar gear also having a number of normal length teeth and an equal number of shorter teeth, said shorter teeth having a peripheral surface corresponding with substantially the pitch circle line of the normal length teeth, one of the shorter teeth of each similar gear being greater in width than the other teeth, said similar gears being adjacently positioned and faced in a reverse order with the two wider teeth aligned in 0 position, one of said similar gears being rotatively adjustable relative to the other in one tooth increments to effect spacing of the short teeth of one gear opposite the tooth spaces of the other gear and to produce an increasing continuous short toothed peripheral surface of the combined similar gears upon each step of adjustment in one direction, a pinion having teeth in operative relation with the similar and transmission gears, and a cyclically driven support for said pinion to effect movement of said pinion circumferentially around the similar and transmission gears, said pinion being rotatable while engaging the teeth of the combined similar gears and non-rotatable while two successive teeth therefore engage and move over the continuous short toothed surface of said similar gears during each cycle of movement of said pinion, whereby the transmission gear and accumulator member are adapted to be driven while the pinion is' under control of the non-toothed surface of the gear.

ALVA G. RUSSELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

